A cDNA encoding a specific binding activity for the tissue-specific negative cis-element S1F binding site of spinach rps1 was isolated from a spinach cDNA expression library. This cDNA of 0.7 kb encodes an unusual small peptide of only 70 amino acids, with a basic domain which contains a nuclear localization signal and a putative DNA binding helix. This protein, named S1Fa, is highly conserved between dicotyledonous and monocotyledonous plants and may represent a novel class of DNA binding proteins. The corresponding mRNA is accumulated more in roots and in etiolated seedlings than in green leaves. This expression pattern is correlated with the tissue-specific function of the S1F binding site which represses the rps1 promoter preferentially in roots and in etiolated plants.